Reality of War
by Zelek
Summary: Sly Cooper is a U.S. Marine about to go into his first engagement. A songfic to M.I.A by Avenged Sevenfold


Sorry I haven't updated, it's been busy here. My high school football team is going to the state championships and as a senior, I'm gonna be there to support my team. Go Wildcats! Anyways, I had a project to do (it's done) and a new game...which has epicly failed me and I'm trying to work my software to get it working. PLUS! I had to get all my music off my external hard drive to reprogram my iPod. I laid down to go to bed when my random playlist started playing a song I've ALWAYS wanted to write to. I'm gonna worn you, this is gonna be violent and heart wrenching. The song is M.I.A. by Avenged Sevenfold from the album City of Evil. Be sure to listen to it.

I do not own Sly Cooper, nor M.I.A. by Avenged Sevenfold.

* * *

Carmelita stared at the clock next to her half empty king sized bed. The clock read one in the morning, but she knew where Sly was it was just getting dark. This morning was the morning that she had come to fear so much. Sly, her high school sweetheart, had enlisted in the Marines straight out of high school to follow in his father's footsteps. Secretly, she loved it. Before, he was lean, but when he got home from Parris Island he was ripped with muscle, and that uniform...she shuddered at the memories of the nights they had. Still, she was concerned that he had gone infantry and had orders to leave for a classified mission.

It wasn't until but two hours ago, she found out where he was.

North Korea had launched a nuclear device at the United States, but thankfully, it was intercepted and destroyed by a satellite in space. The retaliation was immediate. What was meant to be a small scale infiltration turned into full blown war.

She sat up in bed, and turned on the news that was going to be broadcasting the invasion. She feared so much for him, but she had to know.

She had to watch.

Sly stood outside on deck of the troop transport, the U.S.S. Santa Maria. He could see the moon rising and he knew what was in store. War was upon him. The sea spray dampened his camos as he thought deeply on the warm bed back home he left to be here. He was to be part of the second wave of the assault and right as the moon went behind the thick cloud cover, it began.

Several jets zoomed overhead and the sound of explosions and gunfire echoed in his ears. The shore began to glow as the first waves of marines landed and charged forth. Sly closed his eyes and listened intently. Underneath all of the gunfire and explosions, he could hear the sound of dying furs. Minutes went by as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. A hand clapped him on the shoulder and he woke from his trance. He didn't turn, because he knew he didn't need to.

"It's time Private Cooper."

Sly picked up his rifle from its position of leaning on the railing and swung the strap over his shoulder.

"Yes sir."

_Staring at the carnage, praying that the sun will never rise.  
Living another day in disguise.  
These feelings can't be right, lend me your courage to stand up and fight, on tonight.  
Ooooo.....  
Stand Up And Fight;  
_

Sly leapt into his launch boat along with the other furs. The machine shook as it departed from the transport and trudged towards the glowing shore. They were close enough to distinguish flames from the ever present glow of the battle now. A fur in the front of the boat nodded his head and lifted his rifle. With a heavy sigh, he flicked off the safety with a click.

The rest of the boat followed suit with a synchronized click. They were no longer individuals, they were warriors.

"Remember furs, you are United States Marines. Semper FI!" their commanding officer shouted as the landing craft hit shore and lowered it's ramp. He charged first off the boat and aimed towards a building overlooking their position. The glow of a machine gun firing exploded from a window and trailed up the beach towards the boat. Sly leapt over the edge of the boat along with a few other quick thinkers just before a barrage of lead swept over the boat. Screams of the wounded followed suit quickly and Sly peaked around the corner of the boat towards the window. He lined up his night vision scope with it and saw the eyes of the enemy and blocked out all emotion as he pulled the trigger. The eyes vanished instantly.

A perfect headshot.

"CLEAR!" he shouted and he ran forward, keeping low. "Let's take this building!"

The other survivors followed him towards the building. Sly pressed himself against the cold stone of it and motioned another soldier to kick in the door. He did so, only to be blown away by a shotgun. Sly put his rifle into the doorway and laid down surpressing fire while another soldier tossed in a grenade. They both covered their heads as debris blew out the door. A cat ran into the building and yelled out it was clear. Sly joined them and ran up the stairs towards where the machine gun was. When he arrived in the room, he froze.

The fur who had been at the gun was a young woman, and next to her a crying boy.

_The fighting rages on and on, to challenge me you must be strong.  
I walk your land but don't belong, two million soldiers cant be wrong.  
Its no fun but I've been here before.  
I'm far from home, I'm fighting your war.  
(Not the way I pictured this, I wanted better things)  
Some are scared; others killing for fun, I shot a mother right infront of her son.  
(Take this from my consciousness, and please erase my dreams)  
_

Carmelita watched the newscast intently, looking for anything mentioned the 17th infantry division. When the newscaster announced that the second wave had hit the beachhead, she grabbed a stuffed tiger that Sly had won her on their first date and hugged it close to herself.

She knew he was on that beach now.

_Fight for honor, fight for life.  
Pray to god that our side is right.  
Even though we won, I still may lose.  
Untill I make it home to you.  
I see our mothers filled with tears, grew up so fast where did those years go?  
Memories won't let you cry, Unless I don't return tonight.  
So many soldiers on the other side, I take their life so they won't take mine.  
(Scared to make it out alive; murder is all I know)  
_

Gunfire and screams interupted his train of thought and Sly walked down the stairs slowly, only to be greeted by a scene of carnage. His fellow soldiers had been killed by enemy fire and he pressed himself against the wall, scanning for any sign of the attackers. He spotted a foot of someone standing against a wall adjacent to him. He pulled out his knife and slid against the wall. Without thinking he jumped the corner and drove the knife through the throat of the Korean soldier. As he fell, Sly turned and fired on a slow moving soldier. He fell without a word and Sly leapt into a kitchen as more bullets pounded the living room where he had just been. He peeked out a window in the kitchen and saw a good half dozen soldiers approaching cautiously.

_Nobody tells me all the reasons we're here, I have my weapons so there's nothing to fear.  
(Another day, Another life, but nothing real to show for)  
Fight for honor, Fight for your life.  
Pray to god that our side is right.  
Even thought we won, I still may lose.  
Untill I make it home to you._

Sly ducked low and stayed below the windows in the living room as he placed a small mine at the entrance to the house. He laid it down and made a dash up the stairs, enticing the soldiers into the house. They cried out and fired at him and a few seconds later, the house shook as the explosion took out the entire front wall. Sly jumped from the second story window onto the last remaining soldier. The fall stunned them both, but Sly was first to get up. He grabbed his rifle and rammed the butt of it into the soldier's face over and over again until there was nothing left but an oval indent in a pool of blood.

"YOU WON'T KILL ME YOU UNDERSTAND! I'M GOING TO GO HOME TO MY GIRLFRIEND!" Sly ran towards the city still glowing with the lights of war. He knew he needed to regroup with his battalion, or else he would be killed.

_I see our mothers filled with tears, Grew up so fast where did those years go?  
Memories won't let you cry, Unless I don't return tonight.  
Staring at the carnage, praying that the sun would never rise.  
Living another day in disguise.  
These feelings cant be right, lend me your courage to stand up and fight.  
Watching the death toll rise wondering how I'm alive.  
Strangers blood on my hands, I've shot all I can.  
They are no silent nights, watching your brothers all die.  
To destroy all their plans with no thought of me.  
(No thought of me, No thought of me)  
_

The city was even worse than the beach. Bodies littered the streets and Sly noticed just how open he was to being possibly sniped down. He ran into an alley and hid behind a building and waited for a moment to see if there was any danger. A jet zoomed overhead and several bombs exploded on the street. Sly gulped, trying not to think of what could have been had he remained on that street. He looked down at his bloodstained hands and thought to himself.

"Why me and not them? Am I special? I've escaped death several times tonight." He questioned the empty night. Suddenly, a void responded.

"You're lucky, like the rest of us."

Sly looked up to an open window and saw another Marine standing in it.

"Private Cooper, 17th Infantry division."

"Where's your platoon Private?"

"Dead sir, a machine gun nest fired upon us when we landed."

"Alright, get your ass up here."

The door beside him opened and Sly ran past the other Marines in the building to the second story. He saluted the captain as he entered the room.

"The third wave has landed and we've pushed the bastards back into the center of the city." The captain walked over to Sly. "Got alot of adrenaline rushing through you, don't you?"

"Y-yes sir."

"I can tell; you haven't even noticed these two bullet wounds."

Sly looked down and saw sure enough that he had two small holes in his chest. One just below his collarbone, and another below his bellybutton on his side.

"Don't worry, I'm a medic and I can tell you that you'll probably survive, but your part in this war is done. Now lay down on the table and I'll med you up." Sly began to feel the pain seep through him as the adrenaline wore off. He winced at first, and then began to fight back tears as he nerves screamed in agony. He collapsed onto the table and the captain injected him with morphine and then another shot and Sly passed out.

"Let's get this boy home."

Sly awoke as his plane landed in the States. After his short stay on a hospital ship offshore, he had departed from an aircraft carrier on a C-130 back to the States. Several other injured Marines onboard chatted, but a few like Sly didn't.

They had nothing to talk about. They had already sealed away what they had done. Sly deboarded the plane and walked into Carmelita's open arms.

He was no longer a soldier.

But he was forever a killer.

_Ohhhhhhhhhh........  
Walk the city lonely.  
Memories that haunt are passing by.  
A murder walks your street tonight.  
Forgive me for my crimes; Don't forget that I was so young.  
Fought so scared in the name of God and country.  
_

God bless our troops.


End file.
